ISIS threatens to storm Jordan with 15,000 fighters

TEL AVIV – Members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria are claiming on jihadist websites that the group is preparing an operation in which more than 15,000 of its militants will storm into Jordan, WND has found.

The claims were made on Arabic jihadist websites in which the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, is known to be active.

While it was unclear whether or not the ISIS could fulfill its threat to storm Jordan, the al-Qaida-inspired group on Sunday reportedly seized control of Iraq’s main border crossing with Jordan.

Alongside its capture of the Turabil border crossing, three more towns in Iraq’s western Anbar province fell to ISIS, putting the jihadist group within reach of Jordan.

According to informed Middle Eastern security officials, Jordan has been holding emergency meetings since Sunday to discuss a possible military response, while the Jordanian air force was placed on high alert.

ISIS previously posted a video on YouTube threatening to move on Jordan and “slaughter” King Abdullah, whom they view as an enemy of Islam.

Israel, meanwhile, is watching ISIS developments in neighboring Jordan particularly closely amid fears the violence could ultimately spill over to the Jewish state’s own borders.

Sunday, the Israel Air Force hit nine Syrian military targets in retaliation for a cross-border missile attack that killed a 13-year-old Israeli boy. The Israel Defense Forces said its jets and artillery missiles targeted Syrian command posts and firing positions.

The Syrian missile that struck inside Israel may have been intended for insurgents fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, including at sites near Israel on the Syrian side of the border.

Nevertheless, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said the Jewish state held Assad's government responsible for Sunday’s missile attack.

"We see the regime of Bashar Assad and the Syrian military as responsible for what occurs in the territory under their control, and we will respond aggressively and harshly against any provocation and violation of our sovereignty," stated Ya'alon.